Stock Market Today, March 17: Micron Advances Ahead of Earnings as Tight HBM Supply Lifts AI Memory Outlook

Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), a manufacturer of DRAM, NAND flash memory, and SSDs, closed at $461.69, up 4.50%. Shares advanced as investors responded to optimism around a “memory supercycle,” sold-out high-bandwidth memory capacity, and upcoming Q2 earnings, with attention on AI data-center demand and guidance.

The company’s trading volume reached 42.1 million shares, which is nearly 20% above compared with its three-month average of 35.2 million shares. Micron Technology went public in 1984 and has grown 32644% since its IPO.

How the markets moved today

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) added 0.25% to finish at 6,716.09 while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) rose 0.47% to close at 22,479.53. Among semiconductors, Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) closed at $720.17, up 2.35%, while Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) finished at $313.81, gaining 9.64% as storage peers tracked the AI and memory upcycle.

What this means for investors

Micron Technology rose as investors continued to price in a memory upcycle tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, with sentiment supported by reports that its 2026 high-bandwidth memory capacity is already sold out. That has reinforced the view that tight HBM supply could support premium pricing as demand from AI servers and accelerators remains strong. The stock’s move also came with shares trading near record levels, a sign that the market is assigning more value to Micron’s AI exposure than to a typical memory-cycle rebound.

The advance also reflected positioning ahead of Micron’s upcoming quarterly report, where Wall Street is looking for about $8.74 in earnings per share on roughly $19.03 billion in revenue. Investors will be watching to see whether strong HBM demand and strong pricing are flowing through to results, and whether management’s guidance supports a more sustained AI-driven memory cycle.

Should you buy stock in Micron Technology right now?

Before you buy stock in Micron Technology, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Micron Technology wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $513,407!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,123,237!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 938% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 188% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of March 17, 2026.

Eric Trie has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Micron Technology and Western Digital. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.